Re: Family time in prayer...

<span style="font-weight: bold"> <span style="color: #006600">O God,
bless our family
and all its members and friends;
bind us together by your love.
Give us kindness and patience
to support each other;
and wisdom in all we do.
Let the gift of your peace
come into our hearts
and remain with us.
May we rejoice in your blessings
for all our days.
Amen.

Re: Family time in prayer...

<span style="font-weight: bold">For Everything A Season</span>

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time for war,
And a time for peace.
--<span style="font-style: italic">Ecclesiastes 3 The Holy Bible</span>

Re: Family time in prayer...

SEASON OF LENT

<span style="font-style: italic"><span style="font-weight: bold">Lent is an appropriate time to begin to establish some family prayer traditions -- beginning with our attending Church on Ash Wednesday, to receive the cross of ashes on our foreheads</span></span>.

The family can say the following prayer for <span style="font-weight: bold">Ash Wednesday</span>:

<span style="color: #993399">Heavenly Father, Let us enter the season of Lent in the spirit of joy giving ourselves to spiritual strife, cleansing our soul and body, controlling our passions, as we limit our food, living on the virtues of the Holy Spirit;

Let us persevere in our longing for Christ so as to be worthy to behold His most solemn Passion and the most holy Passover, rejoicing the while with spiritual joy. Amen</span>

Re: Family time in prayer...

Initiate a practice of saying the <span style="color: #6600CC">Angelus</span> at family meals:

<span style="font-weight: bold">The Angelus</span>

V: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary

R: And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.

V: Hail Mary, full of grace: The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

R: Holy Mary, Mother of God: Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

V: Behold, the handmaid of the Lord.

R: Be it done unto me according to thy word.

V: Hail Mary ...

R: Holy Mary ...

V: And the Word was made flesh

R: And dwelt among us.

V: Hail Mary ...

R: Holy Mary ...

V: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,

R: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

V: Let us pray.

All: Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace unto our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Blessing before meals: Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Re: Family time in prayer...

An ancient prayer that reminds us of the multifaceted nature of penance is the following, said by the Eastern Church during the Lenten fast. Your family might say this together after the evening meal, or before bedtime:

<span style="color: #6600CC">O Lord and Ruler of Life,
take from me the spirit of idleness, despair, cupidity, and empty talking.
Yea, O Lord grant that I may see my own sins and not judge my brother.
For thou art blessed forever and ever. Amen.</span>

<span style="font-size: 8pt">[Note: If you use this prayer with children, you might have to explain that &quot;cupidity&quot; is greed for wealth or power, not some little winged being from a Valentine!]

Re: Family time in prayer...

<span style="color: #6600CC">Jesus, you place on my forehead
the sign of my sister Death:
“Remember you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”

How not hear her wise advice?
One day my life on earth will end;
the limits on my years are set,
though I know not the day or hour.
Shall I be ready to go to meet you?
Let this holy season be a time of grace
for me and all this world.

“Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.”</span>

<span style="font-style: italic">Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the lord my soul to keep
May angels watch me through the night
Until I wake in morning light.

Amen</span>

<span style="font-style: italic">&quot;I don’t believe the United States of America should be in the business of separating families.
That’s not right. That’s not who we are.&quot; [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/frown.gif[/img]
~ President Barack Obama </span>